Pressurized beverage concentrates and appliances and methods for producing beverages therefrom

ABSTRACT

The present invention describes methods and devices in which concentrated beverage products, each packaged in a pressurized container, can be combined with liquids and/or other ingredients to produce one or more servings of a beverage. These products provide users with a convenient way to prepare both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (including carbonated beverages) in various serving sizes and quantities by combining the pressurized beverage concentrate with (possibly carbonated) liquids and other ingredients.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/110,348, filed Jan. 30, 2015,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention pertains to devices and methods for deliveringpressurized, concentrated beverages, as well as appliances and methodsfor producing one or more beverages from such pressurized beverageconcentrates. More particularly, the present invention is directed to:a) devices for delivering a concentrated beverage that comprise aconcentrated beverage contained within a container along withpressurized gas, and methods for manufacturing such devices; and b)methods and appliances for producing beverages from a pressurizedbeverage concentrate by unsealing a container in which the pressurizedbeverage concentrate is stored and diluting the concentrate with aliquid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In recent years, a diverse array of devices for preparing and dispensingbeverages have been developed and marketed. Some of these methods anddevices allow users to prepare beverages, such as coffee or tea, insingle-serving quantities on demand. These devices vary wildly in theircomplexity, size, and expense, and can be purchased for use at home orin the office.

Many of these devices allow users to prepare hot, brewed beverages suchas coffee or tea. Commonly, these devices function by heating water tonear-boiling temperatures, and then passing that heated water overcoffee powder or tea leaves. In certain devices, the coffee powder ortea leaves are contained in pre-packaged containers designedspecifically for use in that device. After the coffee or tea is brewedand the beverage dispensed from the machine, a user of the device canadd ingredients such as milk, cream, sugar, or honey to the beverage.

However, these existing devices suffer from many drawbacks. They arecommonly limited to specific types of hot beverages, such as coffee ortea, as described above. And recently, the beverage world has seen aproliferation of extremely popular specialized beverages—such asmicrobrewed beers that expertly blend a complex array of flavors andingredients, spirits infused with fruits and spices, and sports drinksthat offer both taste and nutrition, and zero-calorie soft drinks thatmeld new ingredients with traditional flavors. The pre-packagedcontainers described above simply cannot (for example) be used toprovide carbonated drinks, such as beer, and are incapable of meetingconsumers' needs and desires for these varied beverages.

Therefore, there remains a need for products that allow consumers toquickly and easily prepare a variety of beverages from pre-packagedingredients—a need met by the methods and devices of the presentinvention. For example, the pressurized, concentrated beverages of thepresent invention could allow a user to quickly and easily preparesingle servings of a number of different craft beers by mixingcarbonated or non-carbonated water with the concentrated, pressurizedbeverages, resulting in a beverage with a complex, delicious mouth-feelthat cannot be provided by existing products.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed, in certain embodiments, to devicesfor delivering a concentrated beverage, comprising a concentratedbeverage, a container containing the concentrated beverage, and apressurized gas. In certain embodiments of the invention, the containeris selected from the group consisting of a pod, a pack, a capsule, abottle, a cylinder, and a cartridge. In certain further embodiments ofthe invention, the container comprises a material selected from thegroup consisting of steel, aluminum, polyethylene terephthalate (PET),high-density polyethylene (HDPE), glass, and ceramics. In furtherembodiments of the invention, the container can withstand a gas pressureof at least 30 bar above atmospheric pressure, and in still furtherembodiments of the invention, the container can withstand a gas pressureof at least 40 bar above atmospheric pressure.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the container is reusable. Incertain further embodiments of the invention, multiple servings of abeverage can be produced from the concentrated beverage.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the concentrated beverage isselected from the group consisting of a beer (including ales andlagers), a cider, a wine, a spirit, a soft drink, a juice, a coffee, ora tea. In certain further embodiments of the invention, the concentratedbeverage is a high-gravity beer having a specific gravity of at least1.070.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the concentrated beverage has asugar content of about 40 degrees Brix to about 70 degrees Brix.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the concentrated beverage hasan alcohol content of about 2 alcohol by volume (ABV) to about 12 ABV.In certain other embodiments of the invention, the concentrated beveragehas an alcohol content of about 10 ABV to about 14 ABV. In still otherembodiments of the invention, the concentrated beverage has an alcoholcontent of about 50 ABV to about 70 ABV.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the pressurized gas isdissolved in the concentrated beverage. In further embodiments of theinvention, the pressurized gas is selected from the group consisting ofcarbon dioxide, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, and nitrogen dioxide. In stillfurther embodiments of the invention, the pressurized gas is carbondioxide, and the concentrated beverage is hypercarbonated.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the pressurized gas, at 23° C.,has a gas pressure from about 5 bar above atmospheric pressure to about15 bar above atmospheric pressure. In certain further embodiments of theinvention, the pressurized gas has a gas pressure of approximately 9.4bar above atmospheric pressure at 23° C.

In certain other embodiments of the invention, the pressurized gas has agas pressure of between about 34 bar above atmospheric pressure to above50 bar above atmospheric pressure at 23° C.

The present invention is directed, in certain embodiments, to methods ofproducing a beverage from a pressurized beverage concentrate, comprisingthe steps of unsealing a container in which the pressurized beverageconcentrate is stored and diluting the pressurized beverage concentratewith liquid to produce a beverage. In certain embodiments of theinvention, the liquid is water. In certain further embodiments of theinvention, the water is carbonated water. In still further embodimentsof the invention, the water is hypercarbonated water.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the step of diluting thepressurized beverage concentrate comprises diluting the pressurizedbeverage concentrate with water to produce a beverage having a sugarcontent of about 1 degrees Brix to about 30 degrees Brix and an alcoholcontent of about 2 ABV to about 16 ABV.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the method of producing abeverage comprises a step of deionizing the pressured beverageconcentrate to remove anions and cations before the pressurized beverageconcentrate is diluted with water.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the method of producing abeverage comprises a step of adding a flavor ingredient to the producedbeverage. In certain further embodiments of the invention, the flavoringredient is selected from the group consisting of a spice flavor, afruit flavor, an herb flavor, a hop flavor, a malt flavor, a nut flavor,a smoke flavor, a coffee flavor, a chocolate flavor, and mixturesthereof.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the method of producing abeverage comprises a step of adding a concentrated ingredient to theproduced beverage. In certain further embodiments of the invention, theconcentrated ingredient is a solid or liquid ingredient selected fromthe group made up of hop concentrates, fruit concentrates, sweeteners,bittering additives, concentrated spices, foaming promoters,concentrated malt-based liquids, concentrated fermented liquids,concentrated beer, colorants, alcohols, flavoring additives, andmixtures thereof.

In certain embodiments of the invention, diluting the pressurizedbeverage concentrate with water to produce a beverage results inmultiple servings of a beverage being produced from the pressurizedbeverage concentrate.

The present invention is directed, in certain embodiments, to appliancesfor preparing a beverage, appliances that comprise a first receptaclefor intake of a container containing a concentrated, pressurizedbeverage, a first liquid intake for intake of a liquid, a first mixingelement for mixing the concentrated, pressurized beverage with theliquid to produce a beverage, and a beverage outlet to dispense aproduced beverage.

In certain embodiments, the first mixing element is a static mixer. Incertain further embodiments, the static mixer is an in-line mixer. Instill further embodiments, the in-line mixer is a venturi. In certainother embodiments, the static mixer is a mixing chamber. In certainfurther embodiments, the mixing chamber is a disposable mixing chambercomposed of a plastic material.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the appliance comprisesa second liquid intake for intake of a carbonated liquid, and a secondmixing element for mixing a beverage output from the first mixingchamber with the carbonated liquid. In certain further embodiments ofthe invention, the carbonated liquid is carbonated water. In stillfurther embodiments of the invention, the carbonated water ishypercarbonated water.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the second mixingelement is a carbonation chamber or a static mixer. In certain furtherembodiments of the present invention, the second mixing element is adisposable mixing chamber comprised of a plastic material.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the appliance comprisesa second receptacle for intake of an ingredient. In certain furtherembodiments, the ingredient is a flavor ingredient selected from thegroup consisting of a spice flavor, a fruit flavor, an herb flavor, ahop flavor, a malt flavor, a nut flavor, a smoke flavor, a coffeeflavor, a chocolate flavor, and mixtures thereof. In certain otherembodiments, the concentrated ingredient is a solid or liquid ingredientselected from the group consisting of hop concentrates, fruitconcentrates, sweeteners, bittering additives, concentrated spices,foaming promoters, concentrated malt-based liquids, concentratedfermented liquids, concentrated beer, alcohols, colorants and mixturesthereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As described above, the present invention is directed to devices andmethods for delivering pressurized, concentrated beverages, as well asdevices and methods for producing one or more beverages from suchpressurized beverage concentrates. Embodiments of the present inventioncomprise devices for delivering a pressurized beverage concentrate andmethods of manufacturing such devices, methods of producing one or morebeverages from a pressurized beverage concentrate, as well as devicesfor producing one or more beverages from a pressurized beverageconcentrate.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, a device for delivering apressurized beverage concentrate comprises three elements: aconcentrated beverage, a pressurized gas, and a container in which theconcentrated beverage and pressurized gas are sealed. One of skill inthe art will recognize that this container can take many differentforms: in various embodiments of the present invention, the containercan be any one of a pod, a pack, a capsule, a bottle, a cylinder, acartridge, or equivalents thereof.

Similarly, those of skill in the art will also recognize that thecontainer in which the concentrated beverage and pressurized gas aresealed can be composed of one or more of a variety of differentmaterials. The container may be manufactured from plastics (including,but not limited to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or high-densitypolyethylene), metals such as steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, orother materials such as glass, ceramic, composites, or other polymers.

In some embodiments, the container is designed to withstand high levelsof pressure from the pressurized gas contained within the container. Incertain embodiments, the container is capable of withstanding a gaspressure of at least 20 bar above atmospheric (i.e., ambient) pressure;in further preferred embodiments, of at least 30 bar above atmosphericpressure; in even further preferred embodiments, of at least 40 barabove atmospheric pressure; and in still further preferred embodiments,of at least 50 bar above atmospheric pressure.

Those of ordinary skill will be familiar with suitable container designsfor containing gasses at the levels of pressure discussed above. Onesuch design is the nitrous oxide “charger” used for producing whippedcream (also known as a “whip-it”)—a recyclable steel cylinder, cappedwith metal (i.e., steel or aluminum), that contains nitrous oxide athigh pressure (for example, crimped closure Article Nos. 0080, 0084,0085, 0087, 0088, 30601, and 30602). In certain embodiments of thepresent invention, similar containers may be used to package theconcentrated beverage and the pressurized gas.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the container is disposable.For example, the container can be composed of a disposable or recyclableplastic, and can be thrown away or recycled after use. In otherembodiments, the container is reusable. In some cases, the container canbe cleaned and refilled with additional beverage concentrate andpressurized gas. In other cases, the container can be used to producemore than one serving of a beverage, and can be reused until the supplyof concentrated beverage contained therein is exhausted.

In various embodiments of the invention, the ingredient container mayhave properties intended to preserve the concentrated beverage storedwithin the container. In some embodiments, the container may compriseoxygen scavengers or oxygen absorbers, such as ferrous carbonate,ascorbate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, and citrus, which reduce the levelof oxygen in the package, preventing at least some oxidation reactionsfrom occurring and helping to preserve the concentrated beverage in thecontainer. In some embodiments of the invention, the container may be agas barrier, an oxygen barrier, and/or a light barrier. For example, theexterior of the container may be coated with an inorganic oxide, whichhelps prevent gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide from entering orexiting the container, and a light blocking colorant, to help preventlight (including ultraviolet light) that can cause chemical reactionswith the concentrated beverage from entering the container.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that various beverages can beconcentrated, pressurized, and packaged in the containers of the presentinvention. For example, the concentrated beverage of the presentinvention can be a beer (including ales and lagers), a cider, a wine, amalt-based beverage, a fermented beverage, a cider-based beverage, aspirit, a juice, a syrup, a carbonated or non-carbonated soft drink, acoffee, or a tea.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “beer” is defined asa beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of a starch sourcein water using yeast. Suitable starch sources include, but are notlimited to, grains such as barley, wheat, corn, rice, sorghum, andmillet. Other starch sources, such as cassava, sugarcane, and potato,can also be used as a starch source to produce a beer. Similarly,various strains of yeast may be used to ferment a “beer,” including butnot limited to ale yeast strains (“top-fermenting” yeast) and lageryeast strains (“bottom-fermenting” yeast).

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “beer” includes butis not limited to a particular subset of beverages defined as a “beer”under a particular state's laws, regulations, or standards. For example,the German Reinheitsgebot states that a beverage having ingredientsother than water, barley-malt, and hops cannot be considered a“beer”—but for the purposes of the present invention, the term “beer”has no such ingredient restrictions. Similarly, for the purposes of thepresent invention, the term “beer” does not import or imply arestriction on the alcoholic content of a beverage.

In a preferred embodiment, the concentrated beverage is a concentratedbeer produced from a high-gravity beer. As those of skill in the art areaware, the “gravity” or “specific gravity” of an alcohol beverage refersto the relative density of the wort (or must, if the beverage is wine)in comparison to water during the fermentation process. The “originalgravity” refers to the density of the wort (the sugar-containing liquidextracted from the grain during the mashing process) before yeast isadded (or “pitched”) to the wort to begin the fermentation process,where the yeast consumes the sugar in the wort, producing carbon dioxideand alcohol.

For the purposes of the present invention, a “high-gravity” beer refersto a beer having an original gravity of at least 1.070. A higheroriginal gravity indicates that the wort from which the beer is brewedcontains a relativity high concentration of sugar and flavor-enhancingingredients. A higher concentration of sugar provides the yeast morefood, from which additional alcohol can be produced, and a high-gravitybeer therefore tends to have a higher alcohol content than a beer havinga lower original gravity. As those of skill in the art will recognize,different strains of yeast have different tolerances for alcohol, andcertain strains may be able to survive at higher alcohol levels thanothers. In these preferred embodiments, the high gravity beer has analcohol concentration of at least 8 alcohol by volume (ABV), morepreferably at least 12 ABV, and most preferably at least 16 ABV.

As those of skill in the art will recognize, the concentrated beverageproduced by and for use in various embodiments of the present inventioncan be produced by a number of different processes, includingnanofiltration, ultrafiltration, microfiltration, reverse osmosis,distillation, fractionation, carbon filtration, or frame filtration. Theconcentration process(es) can be performed with a semi-permeablemembrane composed of one or more materials selected from the groupconsisting of cellulose acetate, polysulfone, polyamide, polypropylene,polylactide, polyethylene terephthalate, zeolites, aluminum, andceramics.

The processes utilized to produce the concentrated beverage of thepresent invention can involve one or more concentration steps. Incertain embodiments, for example, the beverage may be subjected to afirst concentration step (for example, nanofiltration) to obtain aprimary beer concentrate (the retentate) and a permeate. The retentateis composed of solids such as carbohydrates, proteins, and divalent andmultivalent salts, and the permeate is made up of water, alcohol, andvolatile flavor components. The permeate can then be subjected to one ormore further concentration steps (for example, distillation or reverseosmosis) to obtain a permeate enriched in alcohol and other volatileflavor components, such as aromas. The retentate from the original stepcan then be combined with this concentrated permeate to produce aconcentrated beer to be packaged in accordance with the methods anddevices of the present invention.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the resulting concentratedbeverage has a sugar content of between about 30 degrees Brix and about80 degrees Brix, and in further embodiments, a sugar content of betweenabout 50 degrees Brix and about 70 degrees Brix. In other embodiments ofthe invention, the concentrated base liquid has a sugar content ofbetween 10 and between 30 degrees Brix. In these embodiments, theconcentrated beverage may have an alcohol content of between about 2 ABVto about 12 ABV, between about 10 ABV to about 14 ABV, or between about50 ABV to about 70 ABV.

In addition to the concentrated beverage itself, the container alsocontains pressurized gas. In preferred embodiments of the invention, thegas is injected into the container under pressure, and then thecontainer is sealed. As those of skill in the art will recognize, thecontainer can be sealed using a number of known methods, such as thecrimping metal seal used to seal the “whip-it” gas chargers describedabove.

Various types of gases can be used to pressurize the concentratedbeverages of the present invention, including but not limited to one ormore of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, nitrogen dioxide, and nitrous oxide.In these embodiments, the pressurized gas dissolves into theconcentrated beverage. In preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, the pressurized gas is carbon dioxide, and the dissolution ofthe carbon dioxide into the concentrated beverage results in acarbonated beverage.

For purposes of the present invention, a “hypercarbonated” beverage isdefined as a beverage that contains a greater amount of dissolved carbondioxide than the level of carbon dioxide typically found in a carbonatedbeverage. As a result, a hypercarbonated beverage can be diluted byadding one or more liquids (for example, still water), and result in abeverage having an acceptable level of carbonation. Exemplaryembodiments of hypercarbonated beverages include a beer (having atypical carbonation level of 2-6 g/L of carbon dioxide when carbonated)carbonated to a level greater than 6 grams of carbon dioxide per liter,or a water or soft drink (having a typical carbonation level of 4-7 g/Lwhen carbonated) carbonated to a level greater than 7 grams of carbondioxide per liter. In some preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, the concentrated beverage is hypercarbonated by pressurizedcarbon dioxide in the container.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the pressurizedgas can be injected into the concentrated beverage's container atvarying levels of pressure. In some embodiments, the gas in thecontainer is pressurized at a level between about 20 bar aboveatmospheric pressure and about 40 bar above atmospheric pressure. Inother embodiments, the pressurized gas, at 23 degrees Celsius, has a gaspressure of between approximately 5 bar above atmospheric pressure andabout 15 bar above atmospheric pressure. In one exemplary embodiment,the pressurized gas has a gas pressure of approximately 9.4 bar aboveatmospheric pressure at 23 degrees Celsius. In another exemplaryembodiment, the pressurized gas has a gas pressure of between about 34bar above atmospheric pressure to above 50 bar above atmosphericpressure at 23 degrees Celsius.

Embodiments of the present invention do not merely encompass themanufacture and production of the concentrated beverage product, but itsuse as well. In preferred embodiments of the invention, to produce oneor more servings of a beverage from the concentrated beverage product,the container is unsealed (by puncturing the metal cap on the containeror by other techniques well-known to those skilled in the art), and oneor more liquids is added to the concentrated beverage sealed in thatcontainer to produce a resulting beverage.

In certain exemplary embodiments of the invention, water is added to theconcentrated beverage to produce a beverage suitable for consumption. Insome embodiments, the water is carbonated water, and in some exemplaryembodiments, the water is hypercarbonated water. In other exemplaryembodiments, the beverage produced by mixing the concentrated beveragewith water is carbonated or hypercarbonated by dissolving (throughsparging or equivalent processes known to those of skill in the art)additional carbon dioxide into the beverage.

In some preferred embodiments, the concentrated beverage is aconcentrated high-gravity beer to which water is added, which dilutesthe beer and produces a beverage. In these embodiments, the addition ofwater results in a beer having a sugar content of about 1 degrees Brixto about 30 degrees Brix and an alcohol content of about 2 ABV to about16 ABV. In an exemplary embodiment, the resulting beer has a sugarcontent of between 4 and 7 degrees Brix and an alcohol content ofbetween 2 ABV and 8 ABV. In another exemplary embodiment, the resultingbeer has a sugar content of about 17 degrees Brix and an alcohol contentof between 8 ABV and 12 ABV. In various embodiments, the resulting beerhas an alcohol content of between 2-4 ABV, between 4-6 ABV, between 6-8ABV, between 8-10 ABV, or between 10-12 ABV.

While the above-described embodiments discuss diluting the concentratedbeverage with liquid, those of skill in the art will readily recognizethat other liquids besides water can be added to the concentratedbeverage to produce a beverage, including a beer (including ales andlagers), a cider, a wine, a malt-based beverage, a fermented beverage, acider-based beverage, a spirit, a juice, a syrup, a carbonated ornon-carbonated soft drink, a coffee, or a tea.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, one or more flavoringredients can be added to the concentrated beverage to produce a finalbeverage. Examples of suitable flavor ingredients include (but are notlimited to) a spice flavor, a fruit flavor, a hop flavor, a malt flavor,a nut flavor, a smoke flavor, other suitable flavors (such as a coffeeflavor or a chocolate flavor), and mixtures of such flavors.

Moreover, other concentrated ingredients can be added or combined withthe concentrated beverage to produce a final beverage, including but notlimited to other concentrated beverages. These concentrated ingredientscan be, for example, solid or liquid ingredients such as hopconcentrates, fruit concentrates, sweeteners, bittering additives,concentrated spices, foaming promoters, concentrated malt-based liquids,concentrated fermented liquids, concentrated beer, colorants, flavoringadditives, and mixtures thereof. In some cases, the concentratedingredients (for example, concentrated beers) may be alcoholicconcentrated ingredients.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the quantity ofconcentrated beverage packaged in the container is measured so thatprecisely a single serving of a beverage can be prepared from theconcentrated beverage in the container. In other embodiments of thepresent invention, the concentrated beverage is packaged in a quantitysuitable for producing multiple servings of a beverage. In some of theseembodiments, the multiple servings of the beverage are producedsimultaneously in a single mixing step. In other embodiments, theconcentrated beverage can be repeatedly mixed with liquid to preparesuccessive single servings of the beverage.

In various embodiments of the invention, the serving size of thebeverage produced can be 6 ounces, 8 ounces, 10 ounces, 12 ounces, 14ounces, 16 ounces, 18 ounces, 20 ounces, 22 ounces, or 24 ounces. Incertain further embodiments of the invention, half of the serving sizeof the beverage comprises the concentrated beverage, and half of theserving size of the beverage comprises the liquid with which theconcentrated beverage is diluted. In other further embodiments of theinvention, one-third of the serving size of the beverage comprises theconcentrated beverage, and two-thirds of the serving size of thebeverage comprises the liquid with which the concentrated beverage isdiluted.

In some embodiments of the invention, the concentrated beverage isdeionized to remove anions or cations from the concentrated beverage.This deionization step may occur before (or after) packaging, and/orbefore or after the concentrated beverage is diluted with one or moreliquids to produce a beverage.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an appliance forpreparing a beverage from a pressurized beverage concentrate isprovided. The appliance comprises a receptacle for intake of containersin which the pressurized beverage concentrates are packaged, at leastone liquid intake for the intake of water (and equivalent liquids), atleast one mixing element in which the pressurized beverage concentrateis mixed with the water (or other liquid) to produce a beverage, and anoutlet from which the resulting beverage is dispensed.

In exemplary embodiments of the appliance described above, the mixingelement is a static mixer without moving parts that utilizes turbulenceto mix liquids and produce a beverage. The static mixer can be composedof various materials, including stainless steel, polypropylene, Teflon,PDVF, PVC, CPVC, and polyacetal, and can be a plate-type static mixer ora helical-type static mixer. In some embodiments of the invention, themixing element is a disposable plastic mixer chamber which can bedisposed of and replaced for sanitary/hygienic reasons.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the static mixer is anin-line mixer. In some embodiments of the invention, this mixing elementis a venturi (a constricted, narrow diameter section of a pipe or line,which causes liquid passing through that section to increase in velocitybut decrease in pressure—a phenomenon known as the “venturi effect”). Asliquid flows through the venturi, the venturi effect creates a vacuumwhich causes turbulence, causing mixing of the liquid(s) and otheringredients to occur.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the appliance also comprises asecond mixing element into which the beverage passes before it isdispensed from the appliance. In some embodiments of the invention, thissecond mixing element is a carbonation chamber, where pressurized gas isdissolved into the beverage to carbonate or hypercarbonate the beverage.In other embodiments, this chamber is a second static mixing chamberconnected to a second liquid intake for carbonated water (or anothercarbonated or hypercarbonated liquid) which is mixed with the beverage.Like the first mixing chamber described above, this second mixingchamber can be a disposable plastic component.

In certain embodiments of this appliance for preparing a beverage, theappliance comprises additional receptacles for intake of otheringredients. These ingredients can be solid or liquid ingredients,including additional concentrated beverages for mixing with the firstconcentrated beverage. Various types of suitable flavor ingredients andconcentrated ingredients known to those in the art are discussed above.

EXAMPLES

The following prophetic examples describe potential embodiments of thepresent invention:

Example 1: A concentrated, carbonated beer, having three times the sugarand alcohol by volume (ABV) levels of the high-gravity beer from whichthe concentrated beer is derived, is packaged and sealed in a plasticpod with carbon dioxide pressurized to 9.4 bar above atmosphericpressure at 23° C. The concentrated, pressurized beer is diluted withcarbonated water to form a beverage having an alcohol content of about8-10 ABV.

Example 2: A concentrated beer, having two times the sugar and alcoholby volume (ABV) levels of the beer from which the concentrated beer isderived, is packaged and sealed in a steel cartridge with nitrous oxidepressurized to 20 bar above atmospheric pressure at 23° C. Theconcentrated. pressurized beer is diluted with hypercarbonated water toform a beverage having an alcohol content of about 4-6 ABV, and thebeverage can be dispensed.

Example 3: A concentrated, hypercarbonated beer, having an alcoholcontent of between 12 and 16 alcohol by volume (ABV), is packaged andsealed in a capsule containing carbon dioxide pressurized to 15 barabove atmospheric pressure at 23° C. The concentrated, hypercarbonatedbeer is diluted with water to produce multiple servings of a beveragehaving an alcohol content of between 6-8 ABV, and concentrated flavorsare added to the servings of the beverage before it is dispensed.

Example 4: A concentrated, hypercarbonated beer having an alcoholcontent a sugar content of about 17 degrees Brix and an alcohol contentof between 8 ABV and 12 ABV is packaged in a pod containing pressurizedcarbon dioxide. The concentrated, hypercarbonated beer is diluted withwater to produce at least one serving of a beverage having an alcoholcontent of between 2-8 ABV. At least one flavoring and additionalalcohol are added to the at least one serving of the beverage before thebeverage is dispensed.

Embodiments and prophetic examples of the present invention have beendescribed for the purpose of illustration. Persons skilled in the artwill recognize from this description that the described embodiments andprophetic examples are not limiting, and may be practiced withmodifications and alterations limited only by the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims which are intended to cover such modifications andalterations, so as to afford broad protection to the various embodimentsof the invention and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for delivering a concentrated beverage,comprising: a concentrated beverage; a container for containing theconcentrated beverage; and a pressurized gas.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein the container is selected from the group consisting of a pod, apack, a capsule, a bottle, a cylinder, and a cartridge.
 3. The device ofclaim 2, wherein the container is composed of a material selected fromthe group consisting of steel, aluminum, polyethylene terephthalate(PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), glass, and ceramics.
 4. Thedevice of claim 3, wherein the container can withstand a gas pressure ofat least 30 bar above atmospheric pressure.
 5. The device of claim 4,wherein the container can withstand a gas pressure of at least 40 barabove atmospheric pressure.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein thecontainer is reusable.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein multipleservings of a beverage can be produced from the concentrated beverage.8. The device of claim 1, wherein the concentrated beverage is a beer, acider, a wine, a spirit, a soft drink, a juice, a coffee, or a tea. 9.The device of claim 8, wherein the concentrated beverage is ahigh-gravity beer having a specific gravity of at least 1.070.
 10. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the concentrated beverage has a sugar contentof about 40 degrees Brix to about 70 degrees Brix.
 11. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the concentrated beverage has an alcohol content ofabout 50 ABV to about 70 ABV.
 12. The device of claim 1, wherein thepressurized gas is dissolved in the concentrated beverage.
 13. Thedevice of claim 12, wherein the pressurized gas is selected from thegroup consisting of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, andnitrogen dioxide.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the pressurizedgas is carbon dioxide, and the concentrated beverage is hypercarbonated.15. The device of claim 1, wherein the pressurized gas, at 23° C., has agas pressure from about 5 bar above atmospheric pressure to about 15 barabove atmospheric pressure.
 16. The device of claim 15, wherein thepressurized gas has a gas pressure of approximately 9.4 bar at 23° C.17. A method of producing a beverage from a pressurized beverageconcentrate, comprising the steps of: unsealing a container in which thepressurized beverage concentrate is stored; and diluting the pressurizedbeverage concentrate with a liquid to produce a beverage.
 18. The methodof claim 17, wherein the liquid is water.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein the water is carbonated water.
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein the carbonated water is hypercarbonated water.
 21. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the step of diluting the pressurized beverageconcentrate comprises diluting the pressurized beverage concentrate withwater to produce a beverage having a sugar content of about 1 degreesBrix to about 30 degrees Brix and an alcohol content of about 2 ABV toabout 16 ABV.
 22. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step ofdeionizing the pressurized beverage concentrate to remove anions andcations before diluting the pressurized beverage concentrate with water.23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of adding aningredient to the produced beverage.
 24. The method of claim 23, whereinthe ingredient is a solid or liquid concentrated ingredient selectedfrom the group consisting of hop concentrates, fruit concentrates,sweeteners, bittering additives, concentrated spices, foaming promoters,concentrated malt-based liquids, concentrated fermented liquids,concentrated beer, colorants, alcohols, flavoring additives, andmixtures thereof.
 25. The method of claim 17, wherein diluting thepressurized beverage concentrate with water to produce a beverageresults in multiple servings of the beverage being produced from thepressurized beverage concentrate.
 26. An appliance for preparing abeverage, comprising: a first receptacle for intake of a containercontaining a concentrated, pressurized beverage; a first liquid intakefor intake of a liquid; a first mixing element for mixing theconcentrated, pressurized beverage with the liquid to produce abeverage; and a beverage outlet to dispense a produced beverage.
 27. Theappliance of claim 26, wherein the first mixing element is a staticmixer.
 28. The appliance of claim 27, wherein the static mixer is anin-line mixer.
 29. The appliance of claim 28, wherein the in-line mixeris a venturi.
 30. The appliance of claim 27, wherein the static mixer isa mixing chamber.
 31. The appliance of claim 30, wherein the mixingchamber is a disposable mixing chamber composed of a plastic material.32. The appliance of claim 30, further comprising: a second liquidintake for intake of a carbonated liquid; and a second mixing elementfor mixing a beverage output from the mixing chamber with the carbonatedliquid.
 33. The appliance of claim 32, wherein the carbonated liquid iscarbonated water.
 34. The appliance of claim 33, wherein the carbonatedwater is hypercarbonated water.
 35. The appliance of claim 32, whereinthe second mixing element comprises one of a carbonation chamber and astatic mixer.
 36. The appliance of claim 33, wherein the second mixingelement is a disposable mixing chamber composed of a plastic material.37. The appliance of claim 26, further comprising a second receptaclefor intake of an ingredient.
 38. The appliance of claim 37, wherein theingredient is a flavor ingredient selected from the group consisting ofa spice flavor, a fruit flavor, an herb flavor, a hop flavor, a maltflavor, a nut flavor, a smoke flavor, a coffee flavor, a chocolateflavor, and mixtures thereof.
 39. The appliance of claim 37, wherein theingredient is a solid or liquid concentrated ingredient selected fromthe group consisting of hop concentrates, fruit concentrates,sweeteners, bittering additives, concentrated spices, foaming promoters,concentrated malt-based liquids, concentrated fermented liquids,concentrated beer, alcohols, flavor additives, colorants and mixturesthereof.